Christmas Brunch: Raspberry Greek Yogurt Pancakes

When my brother and I were growing up we would try to stay awake as long as we could on Christmas Eve with hope of catching a glimpse of Santa Clause. Our tired eyes would always win the battle and when we arose the next morning we would be so disappointed to have missed our jolly friend, but that only lasted until we peaked our heads over the banister to find our every desire fulfilled with the gifts under the Christmas tree. After we opened our presents, my amazing mother would have a buffet full of egg casseroles, warm bacon and sausage, french toast and desserts galore for us to feast on with the rest of our extended family. 

There is something that is still magical about Christmas morning.  Our celebrations are a bit smaller now and we usually stay up late reminiscing on Christmas Eve, but Christmas day is still a special time where we gather around a fire (whether or not it’s needed in my parents’ Southern California home) drink coffee or mimosas and savor pastries, omelets and other goodies from the kitchen and everything seems to stand still for a few hours while we reflect on the season and enjoy one another’s company. 

This Christmas a new breakfast treat has made its way into our brunch spread: Raspberry Greek Yogurt Pancakes. These fluffy and not too sweet pancakes are low in fat and sugar, but very flavorful and have a bit of a tart kick from the greek yogurt and raspberries.  Using whole wheat flour in this recipes gives it more fiber and B vitamins. Combined with raspberries, which are high in anti-oxidants, vitamin C, manganese and vitamin K, these pancakes will taste like you’re indulging but with hardly any guilt! 

Raspberry Greek Yogurt Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup low-fat greek yogurt

¼ cup low-fat milk

2 large eggs

1 tbsp honey

½  tsp vanilla

1 pint raspberries, divided

Zest of 1 orange (optional)
Mint for garnish

In a large bowl combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir to combine and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, milk, vanilla and honey. Gradually add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, combining thoroughly. Set aside a few raspberries for garnish, then fold in the remaining raspberries and gently break them apart so they are in smaller pieces but not completely mashed. Sometimes raspberries can be quite sour this time of year. To help sweeten them, lightly sprinkle half a teaspoon of sugar over the raspberries and let sit for 10 minutes before adding to the batter. If desired, add orange zest and carefully stir until just combined. The batter may be on the thicker side, but that should be expected with the yogurt base.   

Lightly grease and heat a griddle or large skillet over a medium-low flame.  Using a small ladle or large spoon, pour small amounts of batter onto the heated pan. Cook until small bubbles appear on top of the pancake and start to pop, then flip. Cook until golden brown.  

I love the hints of red that you can see in the pancakes from the raspberries. Top a stack of pancakes with a couple mint leaves and raspberries and then drizzle with honey or maple syrup. Sometimes instead of syrup or honey, I’ll add a dollop of mascarpone cheese to make this recipe slightly more savory. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Can’t wait to continue this little piggy’s kitchen adventures in 2014 J  

Christmas Traditions: Winter Salad and Wreath Cookies

My mom starts decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend and by December 25^th my parents’ house could be used for the cover of a Martha Stewart magazine. The holidays are always a hectic time, but I love coming home and feeling the wonderful warmth and excitement that seems to only be present at my parents’. With this Christmas potentially the last time that my brother will be able to come home (he’s graduating from Annapolis this summer and becoming a Marine pilot), it’s an especially important Christmas in my family.

We have many traditions in my family and my favorite, of course, revolves around food! I am obsessed with a winter salad that my mom invented many years ago, while my brother and his sweet tooth can’t have a Christmas without our special wreath “cookies.”  These two dishes hold a special place in our family  -- we can’t start our Christmas dinner without Mom’s winter salad and my brother and I make a sticky mess each Christmas Eve molding the wreath cookies.

This year is no exception and I’m happy to share both recipes with you!

The Winter salad is laden with good-for-you ingredients that make it a little easier to say “yes” to those wreath cookies, knowing that you’ve filled up on a healthy vitamin packed salad. 

Winter Salad Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 to 2 cucumbers

2 avocados

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 bunch green onions

4 artichoke hearts

Salt and Pepper to taste

Champagne Dressing

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1-2 garlic cloves crushed

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Thoroughly wash and dry the spinach and place in a large salad bowl. Feel free to substitute the spinach for your favorite greens. I like using spinach though, since it’s a fantastic source of vitamins C, A, K and fiber. Place the pine nuts in a small pan and toast over medium-low heat until golden brown. Make sure to stir the pine nuts frequently so that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Peel and slice the cucumbers and avocados to a bite-sized pieces. Sometimes avocados can be a little temperamental when you cut them. I’ve found the best (and quickest) way to slice avocados is to first cut them in half length wise and remove the pit. Score the flesh of the avocado length-wise and width-wise to form small squares. Then gently push the skin side towards the flesh so that the skin-side becomes concave. Take a knife and coax the avocado off the skin onto the salad. Easy, right?

Mix the cucumbers, avocados, cranberries, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese and Champagne dressing (see directions below) with the spinach. Plate the tossed spinach on salad plates. Chop the green onions (white and green parts) and slice the artichoke hearts in half. Garnish the salad with the chopped onions and artichoke hearts, which are a great source of potassium and fiber!

For the dressing…

Combine the vinegar, crushed garlic, two tablespoons Dijon mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while quickly whisking the mixture. Alternatively, you can place the first 4 ingredients in a blender and slowly add the olive oil while pulsing the blender.

Onto the wreath cookies! 

Wreath Cookie Ingredients (makes 20-25)

1 bag large marshmallows

½ cup butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla extract

5-6 drops green food coloring

3 ¾ cups cornflakes

Red sprinkles

Coconut flakes (optional)

Wax paper

Margarine for shaping the cookies

In a large pot melt the marshmallows and butter over medium heat, stirring as needed. After the ingredients are melted stir in the vanilla and food coloring. Turn off the heat and mix in the cornflakes  until they’re completely incorporated into the marshmallow mixture. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes. While the cookies are cooling, tape a long sheet of wax paper (about 4 feet long) to a clear and clean work surface and spoon 2 tablespoons of margarine onto a small plate.

Now time to form the cookies! This part gets a bit messy, but the margarine helps and this mess is actually fun!  Lightly coat your fingers in the margarine and scoop out about 1-2 tablespoons of the cornflake mixture onto the wax paper and begin forming the mixture into a ring. Repeat with the remaining mixture until it’s all gone. Generously sprinkle the wreath cookies with the red sprinkles to give them a more festive look. If you’re feeling especially festive lightly sprinkle the wreaths with some coconut flakes to give the effect of snow!  Feel free to snack along the way J and of course re-coat your fingers as necessary to keep them from getting too sticky.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Note: Nutritional Information comments derived from the article “Spinach: Health Benefits” from www.webnd.com